Thanksgiving Tip: What Are You Waiting For? Cook Now!

Don't wait until Thanksgiving day to do all the cooking; start today and reduce tomorrow's stress. Here's how you can get the prep work for Thanksgiving dinner done in advance:

Make desserts one to two days before Thanksgiving. Or break it up over the course of two days. Make the pie dough on Tuesday and the filling on Wednesday. Be sure to bake the dessert the day before Thanksgiving. Everything bakes at different temperatures so this will free up the oven. Also the dessert will have plenty of time to set.

Make rolls, breads, or cornbread for stuffing/dressing the day before. These can be reheated last minute while the turkey is resting.

Peel potatoes on Wednesday. To prevent oxidization, place in a bowl of water in the fridge.

Thaw the turkey. Take it out of the freezer now; the last thing you want is for the bird to be half frozen when you stick it in the oven.

Chop the vegetables the day before. This will give you lots of free time on Thanksgiving. Place in bowls covered with plastic wrap or sealed plastic baggies in the vegetable drawer of your fridge.

Depending on the appetizers you are serving, prep or make these the day before as well.

Got a great tip about how to prepare a dish before Thursday? Please share with us below!

kiwi - personally I think that might be pushing it a little. However I'm firmly in the better safe than sorry camp. Especially if you're feeding a bunch of folks, why risk it? Also, the lasagna noodles might dry out in the fridge for so many days. If it was me, I'd freeze it for now. Just remember to take it out of the freezer and into the fridge the night before so that it has time to defrost. You might also need to add an additional amount of cooking time (10 minutes). good luck!

i am pretty excited! this is the first thanksgiving that i'll be cooking (helping my boyfriend cook). normally my ex-MIL did all the cooking, and she is a fabulous cook, so she's a hard act to follow. but there is excitement in doing things on your own for the first time! i can't wait.

I have a question Yum. I made a lasanaga yesterday (Sunday) but didn't cook it. I was planning on throwing it in the freezer for a day or two so it doesn't go bad. Do I need to? Or will it be fine by Thursday? The meat in it is cooked.